The lyrics and the atmospheric sound of this song are meant to create a mood more than deliver a specific message or story. The song, which is in the first person told by a woman, is telling of longing, especially romantic longing, that she hasn't had in such a long time "that I can't be sure"; in fact, "... it's been so long, that [she] can't explain" exactly what it is that she longs for.
The lyrics hint at perhaps an ongoing sexual relationship, "naked" with a lover who tells her all the right things but that that is unfulfilling:
"Is it all as it seems
So unresolved, so unredeemed
If I remain, how will I know"
She needs to leave this relationship to find something that is more substantial and satisfying - it's how she'll resolve it.
The ethereal, dreamlike sound of this song and the extremely vague lyrics suggests her level of emotional detachment from her present relationship.
It's a song that's beautiful in its sad, stark way of capturing a snapshot in the life of the story teller. Quintessential Portishead.
The lyrics and the atmospheric sound of this song are meant to create a mood more than deliver a specific message or story. The song, which is in the first person told by a woman, is telling of longing, especially romantic longing, that she hasn't had in such a long time "that I can't be sure"; in fact, "... it's been so long, that [she] can't explain" exactly what it is that she longs for.
The lyrics hint at perhaps an ongoing sexual relationship, "naked" with a lover who tells her all the right things but that that is unfulfilling:
"Is it all as it seems So unresolved, so unredeemed If I remain, how will I know"
She needs to leave this relationship to find something that is more substantial and satisfying - it's how she'll resolve it.
The ethereal, dreamlike sound of this song and the extremely vague lyrics suggests her level of emotional detachment from her present relationship.
It's a song that's beautiful in its sad, stark way of capturing a snapshot in the life of the story teller. Quintessential Portishead.